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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Guest Authors - Kelly Gay and Kelly Meding

An unusual case of synchronicity recently occurred that brought together two urban fantasy writers - Kelly Gay and Kelly Meding. Both authors were launching their debut novels (The Better Part of Darkness and Three Days to Dead respectively). Both books were releasing on the same day and both authors were named Kelly. The stars were in alignment. They joined forces and launched a series of events to promote their books. The Kelly's kindly agreed to share their post-release thoughts on the experience here at SciFiGuy in the entertaining and revealing post below. Kelly Gay and Kelly Meding will be visiting today to respond to comments, so it is an ideal opportunity to grill politely pose questions to these two gracious debut authors.

To further celebrate the launch of these debuts I also have books to giveaway, I was able to snag one copy of The Better Part of Darkness and three copies of Three Days to Dead. Details on the giveaway are found at the end of the post.

In the urban fantasy world, the November 24th book releases were represented by two separate but equally important writers, Kelly Gay and Kelly Meding. This is their post-release story.

KG: Whew! Our books are finally out, Kelly! The Kelly Apocalypse has past. Heh. And looks like we made it through okay. How was the night before release day? Did you sleep? I had a tough time, felt like Christmas Eve only way more stressful...

KM: Hehe. I'm almost sad to admit that I slept like a baby. I suppose it was because I didn't have an "event" planned for the day. I'd taken off from the day job so I could do whatever I wanted to do. And whatever I wanted turned out to be driving up to the local indie bookstore and ogling my book on the shelf, then going to my parents house for dinner. My dad made ribs. YUM.

KG: DOUBLE YUM!

KM: But I did stay up Monday until midnight. I wanted to be awake to see the clock click over to midnight and Release Day. It was hard, though, because I'd worked the day job on Monday until 9:30 pm, so I was tired. Twitter kept me awake and amused, though, and I didn't actually go to bed until around 1:30 am.

KG: We ended up discussing Book 2 edits, so I stayed up to make notes and get some work done. I missed midnight by a half hour. (I do that every New Year's Eve, too. Go Party-girl!) :D Of course, once I was in bed, I tossed and turned, worrying about everything that was basically out of my hands, which didn't make a lot of sense to me then or now. That whole drifting mind thing, I guess...

KM: That always happens to me when I have to get up early for something the next day, especially something exciting like a trip. I toss and turn and just can't sleep. Sorry, go on...release day?

KG: Release Day consisted of getting my kids reading for school and daycare, and then I headed over to my local bookstore to sign stock. I wanted to see the book on the shelf in this particular store. I've studied at this store. I've written at this store. I've drank an insane amount of coffee at this store, and dreamt about my book being on the shelf... Cold, damp day--my favorite--and I walked into the store, went straight for the Neil Gaiman titles because I knew I'd be next to him, LOL. (*hopeful* Is there such a thing as Book Osmosis, you think? *sigh* Yeah, didn't think so.)

KM: Ooooh, Neil Gaiman. Nice placement.

KG: Anyway, there they were. I just stood there by myself and stared for a long time. Then, I met some great folks who work at the store, and signed the stock. That was my personal way of celebrating. Once, I left (and realized, I could actually introduce myself as an author without spontaneously combusting), I went to a few more stores and signed stock. The entire day had this odd kind of serenity about it, which was surprising because the week leading up to Release Day was totally hectic for me. In the evening, I dropped the kids off at a friend's house and ate yummy steak tacos with my Significant Other.

Was it like that for you; quiet and calm? I had all these pre-release jitters, and yet on the actual Release Day, it was like calmly claiming my title of published author. Does that sound weird?

KM: Definitely quiet and calm, and I totally get what you mean. It's not like there was a parade or huge celebration to mark the occasion for the world. It's a very personal thing, I think, and I like the way you put it--calmly claiming my title of published author. It was exactly like that for me.

And now that the craziness of November is over, I have a confession to make.

KG: ??

KM: When my original October release date was pushed back to November 24th, I remember thinking something with alarming clarity. More than the frustration of waiting for another month to see my book on the shelves, I was terrified to be moved opposite your release. I remember thinking, "Crap, she's got an amazing cover, her book sounds fantastic, she probably has way more people lining up to review her, and her name is Kelly, damn it! I can't debut against her!"

KG: Oh my God, that's hysterical. Because when I popped over to read your blog and saw that your release had been moved to the same day as mine, I thought the same EXACT thing: "Awesome premise, awesome cover, same genre. Oh no, I am in trouble!" Haha! We're so funny.

KM: And then what happens? We end up joining promotional forces and becoming friends. The universe is strange, isn't it?

KG: I know! And I don't think it could have turned out better. If I could do it all over again, I'd chose to debut with you. Having someone going through the same things, at the same time, in the same genre, with all the milestones that come with being a new author. Totally cool that we got to do this together. *nods to the universe* Totally cool. :D

KM: Yay, universe!

KG: And we're a month apart for our second book, right? You ready for a crazy Kelly summer? Ha!

KM: Yeah, I'm July and you're August. We may just have to plan something. *grins* So do you think the Cover Gods will bless us both a second time? I know book one just came out, but I'm so eager to see the cover for book two and to start talking about it. You?

KG: Me, too. I've seen two different sketches of what my second cover might look like. Both would be very cool, but it's hard to see beyond a sketch to a final cover, so... *fingers crossed*. And, yep, can't wait to start talking about Book 2. Er, if I could just finished these revisions....

KM: So back to Three Days to Dead and The Better Part of Darkness (available now! shameless plug!). How do you feel post-release? Relieved? Anxious? Disappointed? Confused? Give me a few adjectives. *grin*

KG: Relieved and positive. I feel like I did what I set out to do, you know? I wrote the story I wanted to tell, stayed true to my characters and my vision. And I feel good about the final product. All I can hope now is that the book ends up entertaining readers more often than not. And if that happens, and I get to keep writing stories, I'll be pretty dang happy. :-)

What about you? How do you feel post release?

KM: A little neurotic, actually. Like you said, I told the story I wanted to tell, but now that it's out there being read by people, I want to snatch it back off the shelves and rewrite bits/change a few things.

KG: *nodding* Oh, I so know what you mean.

KM: But that's just fear, I think. The book is out of my hands and it's up to readers to like it or hate it.

I think my neurotic tendencies are a little worse right now, because I don't have anything to work on and keep me busy. Pre-release promotion is done. I'm working on a few things for December promo, but until book two copy edits arrive in a few weeks, I have nothing on my plate. And that drives me crazy. Which makes me scatterbrained and nervous and (you guessed it), neurotic! *bangs head against wall* Yes, writers are nuts.

Hi Kelly! Hi Kelly! I'm looking forward to reading both of your books! It must be exciting to have your authorial debut! So far, what do you like best about being published authors? And the least?Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks to the Kelly's for the fun interview. You both should definitely team up again for next summer. The return of Kelly & Kelly. I already have Three Days to Dead but I'd love to win The Better Part of Darkness. I posted this on the Contests & Giveaways section on my sidebar.

I think it's great that you two Kelly's have DEBUT novels out the same day.

So had you been reading each other's blogs before you met? Or did you meet because of the books? I think it's great that you made friends. It must be nice to go through the jitters, highs and lows of getting your first book(s) published together. May you stay life long friends.

I went to the bookstore looking for both books (because of the double promotion, but I only could find one (because Borders is not very fast about putting out anything but Twilight paraphanelia)

Thanks for the comments and nice words, you guys! What a nice way to wake up and start the day. :D

Doug, Thanks for having us! And might I say: I *loved* your Law & Order-style intro. :D

Tez - Haha! I believe I'm partial to Kelly Overlords. That has a nice ring to it.

Cherry: I haven't based a character on a real person yet. I have pulled from personality types I know, and experiences I've had with others...

Hey Mardel! I started reading KM's blog back in the spring, I guess it was... I can't remember where I saw her name or heard of her book, but I checked her site out & kept tabs on her since she was a new author like myself & I was interested in the things she shared on her blog and such. Then, we chatted a little through comments at the Fangs, Fur & Fey site. I would have met her at DragonCon had I not cancelled. And then she emailed me about joining forces, which was cool b/c I had been thinking along those lines as well. :-)

Adding my own thanks to Doug for hosting us! Teaming up with Kelly G was amazing fun, and I'm so glad we were able to wrap up the Kellypocalypse here (thanks Tez!).

Kimberly B. - I think the best part now about being a published author is being able to tell someone, when they ask me what I do, that I'm an author. Because now they can walk into a bookstore and buy it. It makes the whole experience finally feel real.

Cherry - I rarely use real people as specific inspiration, but I sometimes amalgamate certain traits or characteristics of people I know. I also sometimes use photos and images of people and places to help inspire characters and locations.

Mardel - I can't remember when I first became aware of Kelly G, but like her it was probably back in the spring. I was so curious about her book when I saw the cover, so I kept checking on her blog. Yeah, wow. We really do share a brain, don't we? :) So we didn't know each other before I pounced on her with the joint-promo idea.

Blodeuedd - Well, I've been hearing from several sources that my hero, Wyatt, is pretty hot if you like the angsty, dangerous type. If you prefer the cute, nice guy next door type, there's Alex.

Katiebabs - I don't think I have anything like a typical writing day. I work part-time in retail, so my days off are never the same, and my hours change all the time.

But when I have to sit down and work, I definitely start with a drink. Coffee in the morning, water during the day (yeah, I'm that boring). I do put on the some background noise, whether it's music or a movie (I have a large collection of horror movies for background noise--I suppose something about the sound of screaming inspires me, hehe). Then it's all about firing up word, opening the document, and getting back into the characters I'm writing about that day.

Kimberly B: Missed your Q before, so here goes. :) What I like best is being able to share the stories in my head with others. I get so excited with new worlds, new beings, & new ideas that I just want to tell everyone who will listen. Now I can. And that's just the coolest thing ever. Of course that also means that it's out there for anyone to read, review, comment on, and love or *gulp* hate. That's kind of scary. But that's also part of the biz.

Katiebabs: Typical writing day involves about 3 cups of coffee, my usual Internet sweep, email check and responses, and then away I go. I usually write new material in the mornings (just seems to come easier then), and then I will revise in the afternoons unless the creativity is flowing and I write all day. I usually stop at 4 PM to deal with the family. I take weekends off, too, unless I'm under deadline. Like I am right now. Oy. I'm off my regular schedule, working on revisions morning and night!

Hi Kelly! Hi Kelly! (oh Doug, you are right - there is an echo *gg*)it's great to see you here!First at all - congrats on your releases *hug* can't wait to read the books...and your interview was great - are you always like that?wish you all the best! both of you ;)Ina

I have only recently become interested in the Urban Fantasy genre and I find both of these books very interesting. I look forward to finding out more about style of both authors and seeing just what makes them 'tick'.

Jessica - LOL! @Evy not being an unlikeable bitch. Hehe. Glad you liked the book!

jeanette8042 - I remember the moment I first saw my cover, and I almost fell out of my chair. To me, Evy was exactly how I'd imagined her, and I loved the ominous cityscape in the background. I might have made her shirt a tiny bit longer, but there was nothing else about the cover I would have changed. The other two important elements (the cross necklace and her trusty knife) were there, so all was well. :)

lol, that post was so cute! Congrats to both Kelly(s) for your releases. It's so interesting that your days before the release were so different--how is it now that the release is over and you've (both) had some time to let it settle?

Thanks so much! Kellypocalypse was great Tez, I laughed as I tried to say it, haha.

Congrats to both of you on your debuts. I laughed when I read your angst about each of you worrying about each other's books coming out at the same time and that you both shared the same first name. I could see myself doing that and agonizing over it so I could totally relate. It's the perfectionist in me. Thanks for guestblogging! I am looking forward to reading your books. I have been hearing good things about both of them on the blogs.

Hi Kelly G & Kelly M :)Thank you for one of the best interviews I've read. Congratulations on your debut releases! Thank you for responding in the comments also. Do you read when your writing a novel? If you do, what do you read?Thank you again for sharing.All the best,RKCharronxoxo

Congratulations to both Kellys.I preordered through Amazon and have both books.I wanted to let Kelly Gay know that I started reading The Better of Darkness Monday evening and couldn't put it down. It was Tuesday morning and time to get up when I finished it.I had a rough day yesterday, but loved the book. I can't wait until the next one.Kelly Meding, yours is the next one to be read.

Doug, this is one of the things I love about finding blog sites, the wonderful interviews by Debut Authors. Kelly and Kelly you 2 are everywhere these days and so many good reviews posted by people lucky enough to sneak peek the books. I have already gotten to buy "Three Days To Dead" earlier than release day through Barnes&Nobles and am really wanting to win "The Better Part Of Darkness" by Kelly Day, if not is on my To Buy LIst and then there are the next books in June and July.......I tweeted the link and info on my profile athttp://twitter.com/jacabur1Posted an also edited version of this info on my blog:http://jacaburintexas.blogspot.com/2009/12/guest-authors-kelly-gay-and-kelly.html

Congrats both Kelly's on your debut releases. I'm waiting for my copy of Three Days To Dead to arrive from Amazon and I have a B&N gift card that I'm going to use soon, so I'll be getting The Better Part of Darkness as well (unless I manage to win it). I'm dying to read both books, I'm so happy to be here for the start of two lovely author's great careers.

Ina, yep. I'm pretty straightforward, so how you read me online is how I am offline as well. A bit of a goofball, basically. :D

Jeanette8042: Hi! :-) I had an entirely different idea in my mind about my cover. But then when I saw what Chris McGrath had done, I just loved it. It's urban and gritty and the background reminds me of Underground. And I totally wanted to pull the model's shirt down, too, just like Kelly said, LOL. I would love to see a cityscape in the next book, though, since Atlanta is such a huge part of the book.

Chichaihana, Now that release day has come and gone, I actually feel a lot more confident and settled than before. There's definitely less stress banging around in my head -- thank goodness!

Hey RK! I don't read a lot of urban fantasy when I'm writing new material. I don't like to have another voice or storyline in my mind or have those things creep into my writing while I'm working. My brain wants to have a clean slate -- no other characters or worlds in there whilst I'm creating my own. :-) But, I'll read in another genre usually when I'm writing new material. Most often it'll be paranormal or contemporary romance, YA, or straight fantasy.

Andrea! Yay! I shouldn't say it, but I'm so happy to have kept you up reading! :D *happy dancing* Er, now, go get some rest!

Well Kelly & Kelly both the books look FABULOUS and sound awesome. I have these on my Santa dear list incase I don't win them here. I think maybe you both were too worried on your release day, I wish you both the best of luck with these books. From what I have heard thus far, I think you will do great!

Hi Melissa! I'd love to see Charlie's story go on for at least a total of four books or more. I'm also hoping to branch off and write a few novels or novellas featuring some of the other characters in BPOD.

Donnas, I'd gone upstairs in my sister's house to take the call. I ducked into my nephew's room for some quiet, and when I got the news. I sat on the floor, probably babbled incoherently, and once I hung up, I just sat there for a while in disbelief that it had actually happened, that there was no 'but' in there somewhere. Then, my mom came quietly to the door, to see what the call was all about, and I pulled her in the room, sat her on the bed and told her. We were both stunned. It was a really neat moment. :-)

jmspettoli: Oh, yes. Very surreal. It's taken me all this time, 18 mos. from finding out the book sold to release day to actually accept that it's real. But even now, there are times when I can't believe that I'm an author, that my book is out there in the world. Not sure I'll ever get used to that!

chichaihana - Now that I've had a chance to settle, it still feels sort of surreal. :)

RKCharron - I definitely read while writing, although not as much while I'm doing a first draft. My head tends to be full of the characters and story during a first draft, so I spend more time writing less time reading. But I read whatever I'm in the mood for at the moment.

Melissa(MyWorld) - I haven't really planned very far beyond the fourth book, but I know the story can go longer. I definitely want to give Evy's story an ending (she deserves that), but the world has so many interesting side stories and supporting characters that I could go on within it for a while.

donnas - The first time it hit home that my book was going to be published was when my agent told me about the first offer we had (TDTD eventually went to auction with three different editors). I remember this mental mantra of "holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, this is HAPPENING! It's really HAPPENING!" And then I made a lot of phone calls.

jmspettoli - It's totally surreal to have gotten this far. I don't know when it will stop feeling surreal. But it truly is a dream come true, and I'm so pleased to be able to share this book with you guys.

mariska - That's a tough one, actually. (just so you know I've sat here for a good 3 minutes, pondering this) I think it's (*minor spoilers*) the scene in First Break with Wyatt, near the end, when Evy really gets to react to everything that's happened up to that point.

SciFiGuy - Yep, we traded ARC's about a month ago, so we could pimp each other with authority. And it helped when our characters interviewed each other. :) I loved THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS, and lurve Rex. :)

Heather C - The hardest part about getting my first book published? I think it's that long expanse of time between making the deal and seeing the book on the shelves. There is so much hurry up and wait time; activity comes in short bursts. Fifteen months of anticipation is definitely crazy-making. :)

SciFiGuy: Since KM already answered, I'll just add that hers came electronically. I'm *not* a big fan of reading books off my PC, but hers was so easy to read! Very smooth and full of unique encounters and world building that kept me engrossed til the end.

Heather: Hmm. I think the hardest part getting published for me was trying to get an agent. Just the whole 'knocking on doors' and having them not answer or shut it soon thereafter. After years of manuscripts and agent hunting, the rejections really could drag me down... (but never for very long before I was up again and knocking).

congrats on the new release to both of you. These books sound great. My question is tell me something about you that would shock and/or awe me.I posted this contest on my blogwww.bookcrazyscrapbookmama.blogspot.com

Congrats on the releases to both of you! I actually have a copy of The Better Part of Darkness (haven't read it just yet though) but I would love a chance to win a copy of Three Days to Dead. Urban Fantasy is steadily becoming one of my favorite genres.

Pamk - Something that would shock and/or awe you? What is this blog rated? *g*

Okay, here's a little-known fact about me. You know how sometimes maraschino cherries come with the stems still attached, whether on ice cream or in your favorite adult beverage? I can tie the cherry stem in a knot using only my teeth and tongue. :)

I think it's great - the two of you checking out each other's blogs. I think there's something to my little (teeny, totally unsubstantiated) theory about people with the same names being very similar in personalities...This is just from observations of children at schools. So I love that you were both worried about your books in relation to the others, that you were both looking at the "new Author", and your answers to my question was very similar.

Congratulations again. I just saw the Better Part of Darkness at Barnes and Nobles a few nights ago.

*Ruby* - I don't know if there is a good answer to your question about inspiration and ideas. Think of it, I suppose, like the world's best salad bar. Everything you've ever read about, seen on TV, or experienced is laid out together, and now it's up to you to pick and choose what you want on your plate. That's the only way I can describe it. I take bits and pieces of everything and then twist it all to make it mine. :)

As for the cover, I didn't get to see it until it was done. My editor asked for my thoughts on her ideas, and anything I wanted to see (the cross and knife were the only two things I asked for). I couldn't have been happier with the model they chose for Evy. :)

I think it's great your releases were on the same day. It brought more attention to the Kellys! :) I know after Christmas I'll be picking up both (If I don't get them as gifts) :D Gotta love Christmas money.

Hi Pam! Hmm, let's see. This wouldn't be so hard if I wasn't such a boring person, LOL. All the shock and awe happens inside my head! I know how to *cough* reach inside of a pregnat mare and help her deliver her baby if she's having trouble or the foal is tied up.

Ruby, my ideas come from all the info already stored in my head and from the world around me. Like Kelly said -- movies, books, TV, etc... Things like that though are just the kernels, those little nuggets that set off my creative mind. I get a lot of inspiration from reading ancient history books, mythology books, and folklore.

As for the covers: My publisher did all the work there. They did send me the sketches & the art work to get my reaction and make sure I didn't hate the direction they were taking. Of course, I loved what they did!

Thanks for all the great comments as well! And Mardel, thanks for the sighting report on BPOD! I was at B&N last night and saw it on the new releases tower, too, along with KM's book, LOL. :-)

Bethie - I wrote my first "novel" when I was twelve, and yes, it was awful. So I suppose I've been writing for a long time now--more than half my life. But I didn't start seriously writing novels(as in writing with the intention of publishing it) until about six years ago. Since then, it's all I've wanted to do. :)

Thanks for this awesome interview Kellys lol. I really enjoy getting to know authors and their writing better. I makes it all feel more realistic to know what the author went through to publish his or her book;)

Bethie: My parents like to say I was born making up stories. They have me recorded on cassette tape when I was four telling this entire story I made up about my mom going on a date with a shark. I got so worked up I started crying, LOL. I wrote my first story in the 1st grade about a watermelon that could talk and became friends with a young girl. But, it wasn't until I was seventeen when I made the decision that I wanted to be published/produced (I started with plays and screenplays). And most everything I wrote from then on out was with the intention of selling...

dor - I have a feeling I'll want to rewrite parts of every book I eventually publish. I know a few authors who've done this for years and say they can't reread their old books for wanting to edit them. LOL! But I suppose that goes back to what Kelly G and I were saying about writers all being nuts. :)